Belated Birthday Surprises
by Moony245
Summary: When Remus has to transform the night of his birthday, he doesn't think there will be much celebrating besides a happy day with his family. Luckily, Tonks has other plans. Non DH compliant. Happy and fluffy :D


Remus slowly made his way up the steps that led to his house. Last night had been the full moon, and while Tonks had insisted that she be there to help him, he had convinced her to stay home and watch Teddy.

It had been a long night. The day before had been Remus' birthday, and despite the fact that he had been feeling sore and stressed from his impending transformation, Tonks had been adamant that they do something to celebrate. She had spent the entire previous day baking and decorating a cake. It was a modest cake to say the least; the frosting drooped sadly and unevenly down one side, and the crumbly layers were cut jaggedly, but Remus had to smile upon seeing his wife's pride at the finished product.

They hadn't done much else, and in truth, Remus didn't mind. They spent the rest of the day as a family, playing with their son, who was now close to a year old. It had been a good day, Remus thought. He'd only wished that he didn't have to transform that night. It made for a hard ending to what had otherwise been a very enjoyable day.

Remus slumped his way up to the last step and put his key in the lock. He pushed the front door open to find Tonks on the sofa. Little Teddy sat upright on his mother's lap as she twisted and contorted her face into a variety of features, from duck bill to dog nose. Remus couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're back," Tonks enthused, scooping her son from her lap and putting him in the nearby playpen. Remus nodded and painfully made his way further into the house. Tonks rushed up to his side to help support his weight. She helped him up the stairs and into their bedroom, laying him down carefully onto the bed.

"I'll go mix up the potions," she instructed, disappearing into the bathroom. Remus could hear the rustling of his wife's hurried potion-making as he removed his shoes and leaned back into the soft blankets. Tonks returned seconds later with a vial of purple fluid clutched in her fist. "Here, drink this," she told him, handing Remus the vial.

He downed the potion in one swig, feeling a warmth course through him as the potion made its way down his throat. "Thanks," he said, placing the now empty vial on the bedside table.

"Now, you rest here," Tonks commanded, adjusting the pillows more comfortably on the bed, "and I'll go take care of breakfast," she ended proudly.

Remus smiled as he watched Tonks head out the door. He couldn't help but think how lucky he was to have found someone like her. That thought lulled him into a comforting, easy sleep.

-oOoOoO-

"Take those there," Tonks demanded in a whisper as Harry dragged a long line of red streamers toward the kitchen. "No, not there, _there_," she urged, pointing toward the staircase. "Hang the banner in the back," she instructed quietly to Molly and Arthur, who were struggling to pull a rather large "Happy Birthday" banner around the sitting room.

"Where d'you wan' the cake?" Hagrid asked, supporting a tall cake with vibrant orange frosting.

"In the kitchen," Tonks replied as she shifted her weight underneath a stack of gifts she had brought down from the hall closet.

"This is going to be great," Ron enthused loudly.

"Shh," Hermione scolded. "He's right upstairs!" she reprimanded in a whisper.

"Sorry," Ron apologized quietly as he and Hermione brought a plate of sandwiches into the kitchen.

"I can't wait to see his face when he sees this," Tonks squealed excitedly, waving her wand through the air and causing Harry's streamers to hang themselves from the staircase, walls, and windows. "This will be the best party ever."

-oOoOoO-

Remus awoke with a yawn and a stretch. He'd guessed that he'd slept for a long while, for the once pale gray light that was streaming through the window was now a bright yellow. He felt much better than he had earlier. The potion had now taken full effect, and he no longer felt sore and tired.

He rose from the bed and made his way to the dresser, withdrawing a blue long-sleeved shirt that wasn't too worn and an old pair of jeans. He changed and then headed downstairs. At first, something immediately struck him as odd. For one thing, Tonks had said that she would be working on breakfast, and whenever Tonks was in the kitchen, there was bound to be an explosion or racket of some kind. Instead, Remus was met with near silence. He cautiously made his way down the stairs, unsure of what to expect when he reached the bottom.

Just before he reached the last step, he was greeted with an ear-splitting "SURPRISE!" People sprang from every conceivable place around the house. Harry erupted from behind the sofa; Hagrid, who had been too large to hide behind any of the furniture, came out from the kitchen; Hermione removed herself from behind the drapes; Ron jumped from underneath the small table; and Molly and Arthur leapt from the coat closet.

"Happy Belated Birthday," Tonks greeted as she approached her husband, a squirming Teddy wrapped in her arms. She handed her son to Remus and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Remus, still in shock, absentmindedly took the baby in his arms. "But," he began, "you promised you wouldn't do anything big."

"Well, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if I'd told you otherwise," Tonks teased.

"This is incredible," Remus allowed, taking in the confetti-covered surfaces and glittering streamers. "How did you do all this?"

"It wasn' tha' hard," Hagrid laughed.

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, "I'm surprised you were able to sleep through the racket Ron made."

"Hey!" Ron argued. "I wasn't that bad."

The room filled with everyone's hearty guffaws while Ron's ears burned red. "C'mon," Tonks advised, trying to move her brilliantly planned party along, "there's cake in the kitchen."

It was a fantastic party. Not a person there could say that they didn't enjoy themselves. Hagrid had cut the slices of cake so large that one or two nearly caused the plates to crack in half. Teddy decided to turn the party into a food-fight by flinging a large helping of frosting into Harry's hair, adding a fair amount of entertainment to the festivities. The gifts people had given were so thoughtful, Remus was almost at a loss for words upon opening some of them. He would never admit it, but his favorite had been the one his wife had given him: a brand new copy of _Of Mice and Men_, his favorite of the Muggle classics.

It had been the perfect day-after-birthday party. Everything had gone so beautifully, and everyone enjoyed thoroughly themselves.

That night, with everyone gone and Teddy peacefully put to sleep in his crib, Remus sat on the edge of the bed as Tonks got ready for bed.

"So how long were you all planning this?" he asked as Tonks began brushing her teeth.

"Dis wee'," Tonks mumbled through the toothpaste. She spat into the sink and proceeded to wash her face. "And you never caught on," she prodded.

Remus chuckled. "I just can't believe all of you kept it a secret this long," he mused.

Tonks laughed. "I practically put everyone under the Unbreakable Vow that they wouldn't tell you," she joked as she pulled back the blankets and got into bed.

"Well, they kept their word," Remus returned, turning out the light and laying back in bed. "I had no idea."

"Did you really like it?" Tonks asked earnestly, turning to her husband.

Remus looked into her wide eyes. They were so bright and happy. She'd always had an enthusiastic and upbeat nature, but it was never so evident as it was in her eyes. She gazed at him with an expectant look, which he returned by kissing her on the lips.

"I couldn't have asked for anything better."

_**I know I'm a bit late for Remus Birthday fics, but I just couldn't leave my favorite Marauder without a birthday party, so I gave him a belated birthday party for my belated birthday fic. I hope you liked it! Thanks a bunch for reading!**_


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